Everything you Need to Know about Slate Stone Tile – Pros and Cons

Slate looks classy and rustic on your floors. Many people get this natural stone installed in their showers too. But, it comes with many problems of its own if not maintained properly. Here is everything you need to know about slate stone tile.

Characteristics:

• Slate is a porous natural stone.
• Slate may shed dust or flakes as it is a naturally cleft, flaky stone.
• It is a fine-grained metamorphic rock that is derived from a shale-type of sedimentary rock made of volcanic ash or clay.
• Slate is mostly gray in color.
• It is available in many different patterns, designs and textures.

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• Slate is a strong natural stone.
• Many houses near forests get a slate roofing done because this stone is completely fire resistant.
• It is also installed in houses located in regions where fireworks industries are present.
• It delivers a rustic appearance to your home decor.

Cons:

• This natural stone is porous and the porosity makes it bsorb liquids. Any kind of liquid spills such as fruit juices, acidic cleaners, aerated beverages are absorbed into the pores of the stone, leaving nasty stains on the surface.
• It allows moisture to penetrate into the surface, which leads to mold and mildew breeding.
• Slate stone gets permanently stained by oil spills.
• Cutting and chopping of fruits and vegetables scratch slate stone countertops easily.
• Dirt and stone settling on the stone can make it dull over time.
• Slate stone has a tendency to shed dust. Over a period of time, it gets dull and looks faded if not sealed well.

Cleaning, Sealing and Maintenance:

Slate stone needs to be cleaned thoroughly, sealed properly and then regularly maintained. If you feel you cannot do the entire procedure properly yourself, you should hire D’Sapone – one of the leading stone restoration service providers. D’Sapone’s artists are highly trained and they perform patented processes using high quality products from pFOkUS – one of the leading stone restoration products manufacturing companies in the US. If you feel you have enough time and you want to try the DIY task yourself, you will need the best quality products from pFOkUS. Below we have explained slate restoration processes performed by D’Sapone.

Prepping, Cleaning and Sanitizing Slate:

Not only D’Sapone clean slate, they disinfect, prep and sanitize the stone with their exquisite slate cleaning process. They use Imperia Deep Clean – a high quality cleaner, penetrating deep into slate while removing all the stains, mold, mildew and previous sealers from the root. Their slate shower cleaning services also are the best in the United States in which they render a healthy shower by thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing your tile.

Providing Titanium Protection to the Grout:

Grout is very porous. No matter how clean your stone is, it will look worse within months if the right grout sealing process is not performed. D’Sapone artists waterproof all the grout lines while applying Caponi – a 2 part pigmented titanium solvent epoxy/resin. It closes all the grout pores and prevents it from allowing the passage of liquids. D’Sapone can pigment it in over 40 colors to suit your requirement.

Repairing Stone and Grout Cracks Instead of Replacing:

If there are cracks in the tile and grout, they don’t replace the tile if there is no extra tile. They repair cracks in the tile and grout using Sentura – a two part pigmented solvent based flexible epoxy/resin designed with a 1200psi adhesion that never pops out and protects your surface for a lifetime. Their artists color match the product with the surface and deliver a natural and beautiful look to the tile and grout.

Sealing Slate Using a Clear Resin Sealer:

Once the surface is cleaned and repaired, D’Sapone waterproofs the slate as this stone is porous. Regardless of how clean it is, the slate will absorb moisture in wet settings, and it will release dust in dry settings. Their artists perform a patented slate sealing process with Celine – a clear topical solvent based resin, creating a hydrophobic surface while adding a slight sheen.

DIY Slate Stone Restoration:

If you would rather perform your slate tile restoration yourself, you can do-it-yourself using pFOkUS’ restoration products. You should perform the same processes mentioned above. For a step-by-step guide, you also can watch out pFOkUS videos for tile and grout cleaning, grout sealing and stone sealing.

If you follow each instruction mentioned in the videos, you can ensure a proper slate restoration in a Do-It-Yourself way. If you don’t have enough time, you can hire D’Sapone and bring that perfect sheen which once glistened across the surface.

Moreover, they also offer a 5 year labor warranty on their Healthy Slate Shower and Healthy Slate Floor processes.